Another month and yet another crazy petrol price increase. Within the space of just twelve months, South African motorists are now paying up to 44% more to fill up their cars. When is this madness going to stop?
As more and more ordinary citizens face increasingly tough financial decisions, we need to get savvier and identify where we can save on day-to-day expenses. One key opportunity to do exactly that is by selling your car (for the best cash price), bypassing the petrol pump queues and investing in an electric vehicle (EV).
But before you dismiss the notion of electric cars being ridiculously expensive to purchase, remember that running costs are key to this argument.
Let’s explore the ongoing, operational savings that you can put back in your pocket by ditching the gas guzzler, selling your car and taking an electric ride into the future. (Not to mention your contribution to a cleaner society).
#1 Eliminate fuel from your monthly budget
Do we even need to state the obvious? The elimination of fuel costs from your monthly budget by switching from petrol- or diesel-powered vehicles to an electrically-charged car is the primary motivator. Don’t get us wrong, selling your car in favour of going electric doesn’t give you an entirely free ride. However, when you calculate your monthly savings on fuel and then multiply this juicy number by the vehicle’s expected lifespan, it certainly becomes a more promising, and worthwhile investment on paper. Like any financial decision, look at it in the long term.
#2 Electricity rates are more stable than fuel prices
Electric vehicles have to generate their power from somewhere, and this will generally be reflected in your monthly electricity bill. A quick comparison of the per-litre price of petrol or diesel against the kWh of electricity units required to travel the same kilometres makes for encouraging statistics for motorists. Moreover, selling your car allows you to ignore monthly fuel price changes determined by NERSA, for a more stable, consistent, and budget-friendly electricity rate, as approved, annually, by our good friends at Eskom.
#3 Selling your car to go electric benefits the environment
The conscious consumer discussion is another obvious advantage of switching to an electric vehicle and one that comes with a feel-good factor attached. With no gas to burn, you are no longer pumping CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Your cleaner, greener, driving alternative helps to reduce air pollution and plays a positive role in creating healthier and more sustainable communities.
#4 Battery Technology is vastly improving
If you asked the early adopters and sceptics what their biggest apprehension was, around converting to an electric vehicle, many would have highlighted “battery range” as their most pressing concern; the fear of running out of electric juice on a busy highway, many miles from the nearest charging point. Worry no more – battery technology and longevity have improved significantly since the earliest releases of Tesla’s, Nissan Leaf’s and BMW’s “i” series of electric vehicles. Range anxiety is quickly becoming a thing of the past, while healthy competition between electric vehicle manufacturers ensures increasingly-longer range capabilities on a single charge.
Trying to decide which electric vehicle model suits your lifestyle and driving needs might take some time. Luckily, parting with your current vehicle is a more straightforward process. Selling your car on an online platform gets you a lump sum investment to put towards many years of fuel-free driving that’s ahead of you.
Driving an EV is liberating, and, as John Travolta predicted, “it’s electrifying!”